The effect of organisational context on group work: evidence in the Rioja wine industry in Spain

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to focus on two basic dimensions of group work: cooperation and transfer of information. This paper has two objectives. The first objective is to analyse the effect of cooperation and transfer of information in group work according to employees’ perceptions of the Rioja wine industry. The second objective is to analyse the existence of significant differences in the perception of the basic dimensions of group work under different organisational contexts in the Rioja wine industry. Design/methodology/approach The participants in the study are 230 workers from the Rioja wine industry. The data is collected through a personal interview using a questionnaire. Hypotheses are tested by multiple regression analysis. Findings The results indicate firstly that cooperation and transfer of information is related to “group work” variable positively, and secondly, significant differences were found in each of the contexts analysed. Besides, it has been found that the variable “transfer of information” is more explanatory of group work differences in organisational contexts than the variable “cooperation”. Originality/value This study verified that there is no homogeneity in group work in the Rioja wine industry. This study contributes to the knowledge about a significant industry of the economy and culture of the Rioja region, and the wine sector in general.